Letter 

Greetings!

When you're doing what you love and making a difference in the world, time flies. This year we are celebrating our 15th anniversary! Our mission is to partner with people and companies that are working to ensure the best possible future for ourselves and for future generations. To all of you - and there are many - we are deeply grateful for your trust and support.

In this newsletter we will tell you about some new clients that are also doing their part to be responsible global citizens. You'll read about our newest employee, our office's downstairs remodel (totally green, of course!), a profile of Sustainable Seattle, green Valentine's Day ideas, and a recommendation for our local, service-oriented courier.

So here's to another 15 years of making the world a better place!

All the best,

Joanie

CLIENT PROFILE

SafeLawns

SafeLawns.org is a new client for Parsons Public Relations. This East Coast non-profit is leading a national campaign to help Americans understand the dangers of using synthetic chemicals on their lawns. The goal is to educate consumers about the new generation of natural products and techniques that make it possible to have lush green organic lawns. Some 40 to 50 million acres in the U.S. are planted in lawns and most are still grown with synthetics, even as more and more gardeners use organics for veggies, fruits and other plants. Parsons Public Relations' work on this account is both big picture (network morning shows and major consumer publications) and grass roots, enlisting the aid of garden writers and broadcasters around the nation and gardening-oriented websites and blogs. Please visit www.SafeLawns.org for more information.

Goodworks

Congratulations Fare Start!

As long time supporters of FareStart, a job training program for homeless and disadvantaged people, we are excited to announce that they have moved into their new building, the result of a successful $8 million capital campaign. The new location is located at 7th & Virginia. The new facility will help them reach their goal of doubling the program in the next five years.

Parsons Public Relations is thrilled to be among the first volunteer groups to serve at a Guest Chef Night dinner at the new facility on Thursday, February 8. The featured chef will be John Neumark of Serafina. We have reserved a table for 16, and would love for you to join us. Reservations are at 6:30 p.m. Please email pam@parsonspr.com if you're interested in having the Parsons team serve you dinner for a good cause! For more information on FareStart, check out www.farestart.org.

Non-Profit Spotlight: Sustainable Seattle

Sustainable Seattle is one of the world's leading non-profits devoted to measuring and advocating for sustainable communities. Now 15 years old, Sustainable Seattle was a champion of sustainability before sustainability was cool. They did ground breaking work on developing economic tools to measure the "triple bottom line." Parsons' senior account executive Kathleen Warren is a member of the board, helping with fundraising and telling the organization's story. Sustainable Seattle will soon release a study that demonstrates how important it is to spend money locally. The study looks at the food sector and finds that buying locally helps create and maintain a web of relationships, all of which contribute to a healthy community. For more information visit www.sustainableseattle.org.

OF INTEREST...

Megan Joins Parsons Team!

Megan Hilfer, our company's most recent intern, has just accepted a position at Parsons Public Relations as an account coordinator. In this role, Megan will continue her excellent work supporting our account managers. Megan's winning combination of smarts, team spirit, creative thinking and quick wit made her the perfect choice for the job. Please take the opportunity to welcome Megan to our team!

Parsons Public Relations' Office Remodel Almost Complete!

We are excited to announce that 100% of the Parsons Public Relations offices are now eco-friendly! Our "lower level" is almost complete and we made environmentally responsible choices every step of the way. Highlights of some of the eco-friendly products we used in the remodel include:

• UltraTouch insulation made with denim scraps - and everyone knows how cozy blue jeans can be!
• No-VOC paint from Best Paint
• Noritz tankless water heater
• Marmoleum flooring for bathroom and utility room
• EnergyStar® washer and dryer
• Collins & Aikman recycled nylon fiber carpet tile
• 3Form decorative resin panels with bear grass

A Great Local Company - DanTran!

In our line of work, we often have to deal with fast deadlines. Many a time we have been saved by the top-notch services of our courier, DanTran. A one-man show, Dan is everything you could want in a courier service - efficient, friendly, affordable and reliable. If you're looking for a courier with competitive pricing that serves the greater Seattle area, please give Dan a call at 206-363-7900!

Eco-tips from An Inconvenient Truth

Below are a handful of great tips for conserving energy to try at home and at the office:

• Replace a regular incandescent light bulb with a compact fluorescent light bulb. CFLs use 60% less energy than a regular bulb. This simple switch will save about 300 pounds of carbon dioxide a year. If every family in the U.S. made the switch, we'd reduce carbon dioxide by more than 90 billion pounds! You can purchase CFLs online from the Energy Federation.

• Move your thermostat down 2° in winter and up 2° in summer. Almost half of the energy we use in our homes goes to heating and cooling. You could save about 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year with this simple adjustment. The American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy has more tips for saving energy on heating and cooling.

• Wrap your water heater in an insulation blanket. You'll save 1,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year with this simple action.

• Unplug electronics from the wall when you're not using them. Even when turned off, things like hairdryers, cell phone chargers and televisions use energy. In fact, the energy used to keep display clocks lit and memory chips working accounts for five percent of total domestic energy consumption and spews 18 million tons of carbon into the atmosphere every year!

• Get a home energy audit. Many utilities offer free home energy audits to find where your home is poorly insulated or energy inefficient. You can save up to 30% off your energy bill and 1,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year. EnergyStar can help you find an energy specialist.

• Buy locally grown and produced foods. The average meal in the United States travels 1,200 miles from the farm to your plate. Buying locally will save fuel and keep money in your community.

• Buy fresh foods instead of frozen. Frozen food uses 10 times more energy to produce.